Osteoporosis is a common, preventable and treatable form of metabolic bone disease. Ten million Americans have this condition. Four-fifths of them are women. Early identification and treatment of low bone density is most effective in increasing bone mass and avoiding painful fractures.

When osteoporosis is advanced or if weak bones have fractured, pain management is incorporated into treatment. New approaches to osteoporosis prevention and treatment are under investigation. Cleveland Clinic patients are often able to participate in trials of medications that are as good as — and hopefully better than —current alternatives.

Learn how osteoporosis, the “silent thief of bone,” can be prevented, detected and treated. Our experts will discuss how both men and women are affected by this metabolic bone disease. They will address early detection and prevention strategies that focus on balance and falls, vitamin D intake and the amount of calcium in your diet, along with the variety of osteoporosis medications available.

Chad Deal, MD, is Director of the Center for Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Diseases and a board-certified Rheumatologist at Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio. He has specialty interests in osteoporosis and related conditions. Dr. Deal did his undergraduate work at Washington University, St. Louis, Mo. He attended medical school at the University of Arkansas, was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha, and graduated in 1977. His internship and residency were at Boston City Hospital in Boston, Mass. He completed a fellowship in arthritis and connective tissue diseases at Boston University School of Medicine in 1982.

Lynn Pattimakiel, MD is a clinical associate in the Department of Internal Medicine at Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. She is practices in the Center for Specialized Women’s Health. Dr. Pattimakiel’s clinical interests are in Women's Health, osteoporosis, menstrual disorders and menopause. She earned her medical degree at Medical University of Debrecen, completed her residency in internal medicine at St. Vincent Charity Hospital. Her fellowship in Women’s Health was at Cleveland Clinic.

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At the Center for Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Diseases is a national leader in osteoporosis research and we provide early identification and treatment of osteoporosis. We offer evaluation with a Dexa (DXA) scan to assess your risk of fracture. We will combine this information with your health history and laboratory results to develop a treatment plan for you that may include:

• changes in diet and vitamin intake
• an exercise program to stimulate bone formation
• elimination of risk factors for bone loss
• use of bone-building medications
If your disease is advanced, or if you already fractured a weak bone, we may integrate pain management and physical therapy into your treatment.

Because our Center for Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Diseases is a national leader in osteoporosis research, the staff participates in major studies of new approaches to prevention and therapy. We may offer you the opportunity to participate in a clinical trial of a new medication. Clinical trials are not experiments, but rather provide you with an opportunity to try a medication that will be as good as – and hopefully better than – one that is currently available.

Cleveland Clinic’s Department for Rheumatologic and Immunologic Diseases is ranked No. 2 in the nation by U.S.News & World Report and top ranked in Ohio.

At the Center for Specialized Women’s Health at Cleveland Clinic, patients are seen in a caring environment that emphasizes technological excellence as well as emotional well-being. The Center offers a full range of state-of-the-art services for testing the unique and changing medical needs of women. We use an interdisciplinary approach to evaluate your problem and arrive at the best treatment for you.
In addition to wellness exams, professionals within the Center for Specialized Women's Health offer a variety of services, including evaluation and/or treatment of:

Women can access routine cancer screenings and information on cardiovascular disease prevention. Several Cleveland Clinic staff members have participated in the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) Certified Menopause Practitioner Program (NCMP), a competency examination program to set the standards for menopause practices, and to assist women in locating clinicians who could provide optimal menopause-related health care.

Cleveland Clinic's gynecology program is ranked No.3 in the nation by U.S.News & World Report and top-ranked in Ohio.

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